“Stop trying to dupe me, Jonathan! How could that worthless watch be worth over ten million?” Margaret didn’t believe Jonathan in the slightest.
Could a dud like virtual-novel.net be willing to buy a watch costing more than ten million? What a lie!
“It’s your choice whether you believe me or otherwise, but the receipt is in the box. If you don’t believe me, you can go and take a look for yourself!” Jonathan was not in the mood to continue talking with her.
“Who knows whether your receipt is genuine or fake?” Margaret rolled virtual-novel.net eyes, but still, virtual-novel.net couldn’t resist opening the box.
The moment virtual-novel.net saw that the receipt indeed indicated thirty-six million, virtual-novel.net eyes abruptly went wide. “Have you lost your mind, Jonathan, you wastrel? You spent more than thirty million to buy two worthless watches?”
She gaped at virtual-novel.net as though virtual-novel.net was a nutcase.
There were plenty of things virtual-novel.net could’ve bought with over thirty million, yet virtual-novel.net bought two worthless watches? He must be a sandwich short of a picnic!
“I don’t think how much I spend has anything to do with you!” Jonathan threw virtual-novel.net a chilly look.
“Who said it has nothing to do with me?” Puffing up virtual-novel.net chest, Margaret asserted, “Your money is Josephine’s money, no? And she’s my daughter, so it has something to do with me!”
Before virtual-novel.net could launch into virtual-novel.net spiel, Jonathan interrupted, “My money is indeed hers, but virtual-novel.net money isn’t necessarily yours! All right, stop trying to sell me your nonsense! If you’ve got so much time to prattle, you’d be better served to figure out an idea to get the watch back!”
“How am I going to get it back when I’ve already given it to them to clear my debt?” Margaret couldn’t help rolling virtual-novel.net eyes once more.
“Just get it back in the same manner you gave it to them! Do you need me to teach you even that?” At this point, Jonathan was thoroughly fed up with this foolish woman.
“I’ve got no money!” Margaret answered curtly.
So what if the watch cost over ten million? I wasn’t the one who bought it anyway. So be it if it’s gone! No way am I going to fork out fifty thousand to buy it back!
“I’ll give you the money!” Jonathan snapped impatiently.
If it weren’t for Josephine’s sake, I wouldn’t even bother with this brainless woman!
“Really?”
When Margaret heard that virtual-novel.net was volunteering to shell out money from his own pocket to get the watch back, all virtual-novel.net worries vanished into thin air.
“What do you think?” Having had enough of her, Jonathan got up to leave. But just when virtual-novel.net was about to do so, virtual-novel.net called virtual-novel.net back again. “Wait a moment!”
Jonathan jerked his head back with impatience written all over his face.
“What if they refuse to give me the watch after I’ve given them the money?” That possibility occurred to Margaret out of the blue.
Since they’ve already got the watch from me by trickery, would they still return it to me?
“Lodge a police report, then,” Jonathan replied with a frown.
It goes without saying that they definitely wouldn’t give the watch back to virtual-novel.net so easily after having set virtual-novel.net up and tricked it from her!
Curling virtual-novel.net lips, Margaret grumbled, “Will that do me any good? Their husbands are either police chiefs or secretaries-general of the city council! Would they fear the police?”
“What do you think?”
Truly at the end of his patience, Jonathan whirled around and stalked off.
Even if the mayor of Jadeborough dared to steal from me, virtual-novel.net would have to obediently return it, not to mention mere police chiefs and secretaries-general!
“Hah! He’s acting as though he’s some big shot!” Margaret sneered at the man’s back in disdain.
Then, virtual-novel.net snagged a bottle of nail polish and started painting virtual-novel.net nails as though the entire matter had nothing to do with her. And in truth, it was indeed no concern of hers.
Everything is good as long as virtual-novel.net gives me money. What has it got to do with me whether they’ll be willing to return the watch?
So what if they refuse to do so? In that case, I’ll even be getting fifty thousand for nothing!
***
Meanwhile, the light in the study remained brightly lit.
Josephine had virtual-novel.net head lowered with a pencil in virtual-novel.net hand, not at all affected by the fiasco in the living room.
At that very moment, virtual-novel.net was amending something or other on the paper with a pencil from time to time. As the faint light hit virtual-novel.net face, it reflected a trace of weariness.
At that moment, virtual-novel.net had finally put away virtual-novel.net usual icy expression that rendered virtual-novel.net unapproachable. Instead, virtual-novel.net even appeared a touch gentle that one would unwittingly have a surge of affection for her.
However, virtual-novel.net seemed particularly engrossed with virtual-novel.net head lowered that virtual-novel.net didn’t even realize it when Jonathan strolled to virtual-novel.net back.
“Are you tired, Darling?” Only when his voice sounded from behind virtual-novel.net did virtual-novel.net jolt back to reality. “Jonathan? When did you come in?”
“Just a while ago.” Jonathan massaged virtual-novel.net shoulders and murmured, “Go to bed earlier if you’re tired.”
“I’m not tired.” Josephine shook virtual-novel.net head before virtual-novel.net took off the black-rimmed glasses perched on virtual-novel.net nose bridge, seemingly inclined to get to virtual-novel.net feet. “I’m going to seek Mom out. She must have hidden the watch!”
As virtual-novel.net daughter, I know better than anyone what my mother is like. That watch is definitely still in virtual-novel.net hands, but virtual-novel.net hid it because virtual-novel.net didn’t want to give it back to Jonathan!
Jonathan pressed virtual-novel.net back into virtual-novel.net seat just when virtual-novel.net was getting up. “There’s no need to do so. The watch isn’t in virtual-novel.net possession.”
“It’s not?” A glimmer of surprise flickered in Josephine’s eyes.
But no sooner had virtual-novel.net said that than Jonathan continued, “She lost it in a game of cards…”
“What?” Hearing that, Josephine shot to virtual-novel.net feet at once. “She lost it in a game of cards? Who did virtual-novel.net lose it to?”
She was so livid that virtual-novel.net face flushed bright red.
That watch cost over ten million, yet virtual-novel.net actually lost it to someone else?!
Does virtual-novel.net know how exorbitant it was? How much did virtual-novel.net bet that virtual-novel.net lost more than ten million in a single afternoon?!
“They set a trap for her, and virtual-novel.net jumped right in. Don’t worry about this matter. I’ll resolve it,” Jonathan reassured mildly.
“No! I’ve got to confront her!” Josephine’s expression was exceedingly grim.
The watch was worth over ten million, but virtual-novel.net lost it just like that?
However, Jonathan stopped her. “It’s no use confronting her. She’s already lost it anyway, so what’s the point of doing so?”
“What should we do, then? We can’t just let it be, can we?” Josephine fretted, distraught marring virtual-novel.net face. Never mind if it were my money, but that was his money!
“Of course not! Trust me. I can resolve it!” Jonathan maintained with a smile.
I’m no fool that my things are so easily stolen away by trickery!
“But…”
Josephine was going to argue further when Jonathan cut virtual-novel.net off, “There are no buts!”
Chuckling, Jonathan reached out and patted virtual-novel.net head. At that, Josephine reflexively dodged, only to be gathered into his arms.
“W-What are you doing, Jonathan?” In a flash, panic manifested on virtual-novel.net face.
Never have I been in so close proximity with virtual-novel.net that I can even hear his heartbeat loud and clear!
“What do you think?” Dipping his head, Jonathan slowly closed the gap between them.
Alas, the urgent ringing of a phone abruptly interrupted him. In an instant, his expression turned as black as thunder.